After a mammoth year that was 2012, what are the prospects for tourism across the South of England in 2013 and how can we inspire visitors to guide us to economic recovery? These are just some of the hot issues up for debate at the forthcoming Hotel & Catering Show (H&CS), Bournemouth, on 5-6 March 2013.

Addressing these issues and setting the scene for a two-day programme of seminars designed to help hospitality businesses across the South, will be the show’s keynote speaker Deirdre Wells OBE, Head of Tourism at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. She will deliver the show’s opening address at 10:00am, followed by a seminar entitled ‘Tourism - holding the reins for economic recovery in the South’, on Tuesday 5 March in the Seminar Theatre.

Deirdre has worked for the Department for Culture, Media and Sport for the last 20 years, holding a number of high profile positions. She was awarded an OBE for her work heading the team which delivered the memorial services for the victims of 9/11, Bali, The Asian Tsunami and London 7/7 and more recently held the programme manager post for the Olympic Legacy Board. She was appointed as Head of Tourism in April 2011, where she has been instrumental in the delivery of the government’s GREAT campaign – an ambitious and far-reaching marketing campaign that aims to help the world discover why Britain is such a great place to visit, study, work, invest and do business.

With tourism playing such a major role across the South, both as a provider of employment and as a major contributor to regional GDP, the session will give visitors the chance to hear more about the government’s strategy for tourism development and its plans to continue to attract visitors to the area from both the domestic and overseas market.

The session will highlight key activities that will directly impact on businesses across the South, focusing on accommodation and hospitality providers as well as tourist attractions and other suppliers to the industry. Deirdre will provide an update on the government’s current strategy, detailing how UK tourism officials are planning on capitalising on the legacy of 2012, before opening up to questions from the floor.

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This tourism related seminar is just one of the 12 sessions scheduled to run at the Hotel & Catering Show. Other sessions will offer insight into customer behaviour, marketing and sales, and business operations, to help equip hospitality businesses operating across the South with the necessary advice and information for a successful 2013.